Exposure
by THEisabel
Summary: The war continues and Hermione is the Order's new spy. Her job is to destroy Voldemort, but what happens when she starts to see a man behind the monster? Post-Hogwarts
1. Introduction

Dumbledore is dead.

Most days I still have trouble even processing the combination of these three simple words. Of course, the prophecy states that Harry Potter will be the threat to the Dark Lord, but Albus Dumbledore was the only one to truly fight Voldemort, and he was the leader of the only organization to stand against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Without his leadership the Order of the Phoenix is crumbling, and Harry is not prepared to face the challenges that await him.

The remaining members of the Order have chosen me, Hermione Granger, to infiltrate the inner circle of Death Eaters and become their new spy. Professor Snape murdered Albus Dumbledore, and was obviously working for Voldemort all the time. There has never been a traitor amidst Voldemort's followers and so I must ask myself if it can even be accomplished.

Many call me the brightest witch of my age, but can I accomplish this mission? I fear what lies ahead. I feel the weight of the burden I've been given and the hopes that now rest with me. I will infiltrate the Death Eaters and help defeat Voldemort, because I must- for Harry, for the Order, for my friends, for the future.

Dumbledore is dead- and I must find strength in these words. Surely if Dumbledore can be killed by a traitor like Severus Snape, then I can find a way to bring an end to Voldemort.


	2. Preparations

Disclaimer: OK, I'm only going to write this once so everyone pay attention: The characters belong to JK Rowling.

"Shall we continue?" Hermione could barely decipher the words Remus was saying to her. Her mind was still blurry and her body was twitching uncontrollably on the floor from the remnants of the cruciatus curse. She whispered the word 'yes' to the floor, while her head took some refuge on the coolness of the stone.

"Very well, for the last time, what is your name?" Remus asked and patiently waited for the answer while his sympathetic and somewhat pained face gazed at Hermione.

Hermione slowly pulled herself up to her knees and shakily stood up. Her face and body were covered in dirt from the floor, and the only clean part of her body was the tear tracks from her eyes. Hermione raised her chin and cleared her throat to speak the words Remus wanted to hear in a soft, but clear and strong voice. "My name is Helen Spade."

Remus nodded at this expected answer and mumbled to himself that it was enough. He walked over to her and said, "Hermione let me help you." He took her by the arm and helped her to a chair and charmed a glass of water for her.

As she drank, she felt the cleaning charm Remus sent her way taking effect, but she knew she would only truly feel clean after her body had been rinsed by the hot water of a bath. However, she was feeling better remarkably quickly and knew that it was because this was a rather light training session.

Hermione had been through a crash course in all manners of magic over the past five months. It was October now, and she found it hard to believe that she had only graduated from Hogwarts in June. She felt like it had been years, because she felt like a completely different person. Of course, that had been the point in her training, but it was hard to become such a solitary creature.

Over the course of her training she had been prevented from seeing any of her friends, and had only had any real contact with her trainers, who until Remus were all unfamiliar to her. She had spent months studying the dark arts, dueling and hand-to-hand combat, and she had become a master at Occulmency and Legilimency. She was proud over the quick control she gained over her own mind, but also recognized that it was easier to learn when she had been removed from the world and all the distractions it held.

"Are you feeling better, Hermione?" Remus asked when he saw that the tremors running through her body had slowed. "Yes, thank you Remus," she replied. He crouched down to meet her gaze and brushed her hair away from her face while shaking his head.

"I'm glad that this is your last session and you are truly prepared for what is to come," he said. Hermione nodded her head more in agreement to the first part of what he said than to the second. She didn't feel that any amount of training would prepare her for what was to come. Then again, she felt sure Remus didn't either, and that he had probably said it more to give encouragement. Remus Lupin was one of the only Order members to keep his head after Dumbledore had been murdered, but he was greatly outnumbered by the others who were in an almost constant state of panic and couldn't seem to be rational anymore. He thought the torture sessions Hermione was given were ridiculous, as he knew that no one could become accustomed to the pain of the Cruciatus and other dark curses. The others insisted the sessions were necessary for her to practice giving false information, even after hours of pain.

Hermione saw that Remus' eyes had darkened and that he was lost in his thoughts. He had only taken over these sessions in the past couple of weeks, because her appearance had been altered and he was the only one allowed to see her now. He was going to be her contact from the Order, because he was the one she knew she could trust absolutely.

"Remus, it's ok, it's over." Hermione spoke quietly and looked into his guilty eyes and waited for his reaction. She knew these sessions had been almost as hard on him as they had been on her, because what was required of him went against his very nature. Thankfully, this was the last training session for Hermione, and she would have about a week to recover before she made contact with the Death Eaters. Remus nodded one final time, stood back up, and told her he was going to go make her some tea and food before he left.

Hermione watched him walk out of the training room and took a few minutes to gather her composure. When she was sure she could stand up on her own without her legs buckling beneath her, she rose and followed Remus. She was always glad to leave the coldness of the training room behind, although this one was remarkably nice as compared to the one in the Order headquarters. She took a deep breath as she exited the room and took in the peaceful ordinary appearance of the hallway.

This was to be her safe house over the course of the following months. She would come here to meet Remus, who was her secret keeper as well as her contact. It was a non-descript home on the outskirts of wizarding London. The inside was just as plain, and completely devoid of any personal touches, but Hermione rather liked it. The house was quiet, safe, and had a full bookshelf of her personal favorites, and the perfect nook where she could peruse them at her leisure. The house was also quite small, with just a kitchen, parlor, bedroom, bathroom, and training room. It was also quite bright, decorated in soft whites and beiges, and she was able to relax here much more easily than she had at Order Headquarters.

As she walked down the hall to the kitchen she got a glimpse of herself in the hall mirror and had to stop. Her appearance still shocked her. It was the face of Helen Spade that stared back at her. It had been decided that polyjuice potion would be too risky for her, and the Order couldn't afford for her to fail, so they had turned to the muggle practice of plastic surgery.

Not much had been changed, but her nose had been worked on and now looked thinner and more aristocratic, and she had the angles of her face accentuated, so that her face now looked a little older and sharper. The cosmetic changes were next. Her hair had been permanently straightened and dyed a dirty, natural blonde, and she now wore green contacts all the time. Add to that the muscles she had acquired during training and she gave off an entirely different appearance and persona.

Only Remus had been able to see her since the surgery, and thanks to advanced healing charms her face was healed within a week, so she didn't lose too much training time. The Order was taking every precaution they could think of in order to make sure she succeeded.

As she stared at her face in the mirror she wanted to cry. She realized that she was quite pretty now, where before she had been rather plain, and she knew that many women would be happy to have their appearances changed for the better, but she was not one of them. She had never been interested in enticing other people with her looks, but always wanted people to recognize her for her mind.

Helen Spade was particularly vain about her appearance, and always made sure to have nail polish, jewelry, and make up charms in place. This had been one of the hardest details for Hermione to become accustomed to. Every morning as she got dressed in well-fitted robes, especially made and tailored for her appearance, and applied her make up charms and put in her contacts; she looked at it as putting on her game face. It was a constant reminder that in order to survive and triumph she must _be_ Helen Spade, and forget Hermione Granger ever existed.

"Hermione, the tea is ready," Remus called from the kitchen and she shook her head of the thoughts she was lost in. She took one last look at the face in the mirror, the face of a woman who will soon be a Death Eater, before sighing and turning towards the kitchen to go talk with Remus before he would return to the Order's headquarters.


	3. Background

Things were progressing slower than expected, but Hermione was confident in the solid progress that was being made. She had moved into a different house about an hour outside of London. It was rather small, but very modern and open, which gave it the feeling of being larger than it was. She was also the proud owner of a new dark arts bookstore in Knockturn Alley called proof. She catered to a wealthier clientele, and her shop was by far the nicest in the area. The name Helen Spade was becoming well known quickly among a darker set of wizards.

Helen Spade had just moved to London from New York, and was quite well off thanks to the inheritance left to her following her parent's deaths. She was at ease in both the muggle and wizarding worlds due to the fact that her father had been a wizard and her mother had been a muggle. Helen was a rational creature and therefore always willing to acknowledge and use the best of each world to her own advantage. For instance, Helen Spade drives a BMW Z4 Coupé. She enjoys the speed and ingenuity of the vehicle, and uses it whenever she has time. In Hermione's opinion, since she hates to fly by broom, this cover story works perfectly.

Hermione enjoyed the blend of muggle and magical ways of doing things. It also helped her to fit into the role of Helen Spade more easily, as it fit with her own history and expertise. It also served the practical purpose of making her able to join the Death Eaters as a half-blood, but not being someone they would already know of if she were a pureblood. She was also now rich enough to mingle with the wealthier Death Eaters, but not wealthy enough to make them jealous or leave them questioning why they hadn't known her family name.

The money to furnish this new lifestyle had come from Hogwart's vaults, and Hermione still felt guilty about using the school's money for such a task. Remus assured her that it would just sit in the vaults if headmaster McGonagall hadn't given it to the Order, and that if she failed the school would be under Voldemort's control or destroyed anyway, so the money might as well be put to good use.

Hermione was sure that noticeability mixed with subtlety was the key. If a new wealthy pureblood, whom no one had ever heard of, went knocking on Lucius Malfoy's door in order to ask to meet the Dark Lord, they would surely fail. Hermione knew that they would have to make the first contact and she would have to be patient and wait to be recruited.

Hermione heard the bell at the front door indicating that she had a customer and she put down the book that she was reading and exited the back room. She recognized the man who entered her store, because he had been in three other times in the past two weeks that she had been open.

He was quite a handsome man, with jet-black hair and green eyes, and he was tall and lean, but clearly had a good physique. He looked to be around his early 30's or so, but it could be due to the lines that were set around his stern face. The lack of emotional expression on his face causes him to look more like a statue than a person. He was also unusually quiet. Most customers that came were curious and wanted to get to know a little more about Helen Spade, or wanted to talk about specific texts that were in the store. However, every time he came in, he just browsed about the books, and would sit down to read a different title for about fifteen minutes before he bid her good day.

"Good evening, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?" Hermione asked him.

He shook his head and began to wander around the store in search of something interesting to read. He chose a book rather quickly and sat down in one of the four dark leather chairs in the center of the room and began to read silently.

As it was about an hour from closing time, Hermione began to work the figures from the day and took out a quill and some parchment. She had been working for about twenty minutes when she heard a deep voice.

"What is playing?" he asked her. She looked up, surprised by his interest, and told him that it was Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach's solo cello suite in G major. She was further surprised when he nodded his head in recognition.

"May I ask why you play muggle music in your store?" he questioned her. Hermione smiled gently and explained that she found nothing in the wizarding world to match muggle's classical music. She continued by saying that she enjoyed soothing background music without lyrics while she reads.

"Interesting. Now perhaps the more important question you could answer for me is why this chair is getting uncomfortably hot," he said.

Hermione let out a little laugh. "Well, the chairs are charmed. If a customer sits in a chair to read one book, then for the first ten minutes or so, the chair will just be warm and soothing for the reader. After that amount of time, it becomes increasingly warm, until after about thirty minutes it will be too hot for that person to sit on if they are still reading the same book. You understand, I do have to make a profit," she said.

His stern face cracked a little smirk, and she was surprised by the change it brought in his appearance and how much younger it made him appear. "Right," he said. "You wouldn't want customers to come in and read your entire selection without making a purchase."

He stood up and walked over to the counter where she was working and told her that he thought she had a good selection for a smaller store, but that nothing here was new to him. He told her not to be offended because he was much more familiar with the dark arts than most. This set off warning bells in Hermione's head, but they were drowned out by the challenge she was presented.

She looked him directly in the eyes and said, "If you come back tomorrow, then I guarantee you I will have at least one book that will prove of interest to you."

He let that little smirk grace his face again and asked her what he would get if she couldn't back up her claim come tomorrow.

Hermione was feeling slightly charmed and dazzled as she stared into his green eyes, but she defied the rules of the little flirting game that was commencing, and pulled back and walked over to the front door of the store.

She opened the door, looked back at him, and defiantly said, "I can back it up and I expect that I will see you tomorrow, but for now it is time for me to close, so I will wish you a good day." As he bushed past her, she couldn't resist saying, "you won't be disappointed."

Gone was the little smirk, as he broke out in a grin, and exited the store. As she shut the door and turned the open sign to closed, he nodded to her and apparated away.

Hermione shook her head and headed into the back room to finish closing up the store. She knew she had a lot of thinking to do in order to make an interesting selection for the following day.


	4. Invitation

It was a gloomy morning, and as Hermione unwarded the front door and opened it, she knew that the rain would come soon. The darkness of the sky made Knockturn Alley seem like an even grimier place than usual. The little bookstore she had was a refuge from that atmosphere- a haven. Every time she walked into the store and smelled the parchments of the books, a little smile broke out on her face. She couldn't help but think, if this war ended on a positive note, perhaps someday she could turn this all into a reality for herself. Of course she would change the type of books sold, and it may not seem very ambitious to some, but she knew she would be happy as a bookstore owner. One thing was sure; it would give her plenty of time to read.

Hermione pulled two tiny objects from her pocket and laid them on the counter. She enlarged them and when they retook their original size the titles of the two books read, Poisonous Plants of the Rainforest and their Uses and Ancient African Curses. She had sent an emergency owl to Remus the previous evening, and around two in the morning these two books had arrived. The note he sent informed her that both were illegal and kept in one of the ministry's vaults at Gringotts, which was meant for such a purpose. If asked how she got them, she would keep as close to the truth as possible and say she knew someone with access who favored galleons more than morality. Of course she could also just be charming and vague, and say that she has her own ways of getting what she needs. Hermione had a feeling that particular answer might be better for the mysterious man she had found the books for.

She was full of eager anticipation for their meeting that day and she wanted to get a start reading the books so she would know some more about them before he arrived. Rarely did any customers come in this early, so she charmed her iPod to play Chopin loud enough to fill the store, beginning with one of her favorite pieces Nocturne No.2. Op. 9 in E-Flat Major. As the music filled the store, she chose the book about ancient curses and went to one of the leather chairs in the middle of the room to begin reading.

Several hours later, he had not come. The rain was keeping most customers away today, and she had only had to stop reading a few times, which had allowed her to almost finish both works. She found the sound of the rain a pleasant backdrop to the music, and it soothed her while she read. She couldn't help but be intrigued by the knowledge contained within the books, even if her stomach also curled with disgust at much of the contents.

The bell on the door rang and she looked up, with the same eagerness that she had greeted each customer with that day as she waited for the one person she wanted to see. When she saw Lucius Malfoy walk into her store it was all she could do not to gasp in shock. She had to remember that Helen Spade was unfamiliar with this man. She closed the book and stood up to walk over to him, and said, "Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you today?"

He raised his nose a little higher and lifted one eyebrow. "How interesting to find such a charming store and someone who recognizes manners in Knockturn Alley. Quite a pleasant change I assure you," he stated.

"I am Lucius Malfoy. I'm sure you've heard about me," he went on pompously. "But what is more intriguing is that I have heard about you and your store. I have several friends who are quite interested in getting to know more about you. Therefore I have personally come to issue you an invitation to a small ball at my home this coming Friday."

He held out his hand with the invitation, and as she hesitantly took it from his hand he looked at her as if she didn't understand the honor she was receiving. "Ms. Spade I assure you I don't normally act in place of an owl, but I felt it necessary to personally impress upon you how much I want you to be in attendance." As he said this, Hermione got the feeling with the weight put behind the words that she wasn't really receiving an invitation at all, but was rather being ordered to appear.

When she finally regained her tongue and found a pause in his speech to interject, she said with bright eyes and a smile, "Please call me Helen. I would love to attend. Since I'm still so new to this country, I haven't met many people, and I'm looking for a new group of friends with interests similar to my own."

He nodded and looked directly into her eyes. "Well, Helen, I do believe I can help you there."

Hermione lowered her eyes to quickly scan the invitation and finding no address she raised a questioning glance to him. "Lucius, I assume you're going to tell me where your house is, so I can attend."

He quickly drew his stance a little higher at the brusqueness in her tone and her familiar use of his first name. "The invitation will turn into a portkey at 8:00."

Seeing that she had offended him she calmly took a deep breath and said, " You must forgive my forwardness Lucius, but I just know we are going to be on friendly terms soon, or at least that is my hope." Hermione edged a little closer towards him with a smile and a sultry look on her face.

Lucius relaxed his stance and smiled as his vanity was catered to. Hermione quickly continued, "I would actually prefer to drive my car to your home for the party, so if you don't mind, the location would prove rather helpful."

He was clearly shocked and slightly disgusted by this statement. However, he told her that the manor was just outside of Bath and gave her the coordinates. "You truly are an interesting woman," he said with a hint of disdain.

Hermione smiled and said, "Lucius perhaps you won't be so disgusted if you take a look at my car Friday night. I find flooing to be too messy, flying is not really pleasant in my opinion, and apparition can be quite dull after awhile. The speed of driving and the music I play in my car makes the journey so much more exciting."

He shook his head in disbelief and said, "I will see you Friday evening, but don't expect me to show any interest in a muggle object. I abhor everything about them and am quite sure they have nothing to offer."

"Well, perhaps I can change your mind a little about this one thing," Hermione said. He shook his head and with a quick goodbye exited the store and apparated away.

Hermione let out a long breath. Her stomach was tied in a tight knot of disgust at his expected attitude and imperious nature. She quickly congratulated herself for keeping her composure and stunning him but keeping him interested at the same time. It was a careful line with displaying her love for certain muggle things. They would have to be intriguing to dark wizards and her own charm must make them willing to look at them, or at least not be offended by her use of them.

Hermione quickly set about deciding what she would wear on Friday, how to make her entrance, and how to behave. This was the entrance she needed to become a Death Eater, and she had to be flawless.

She was so lost in her thoughts and plans that she didn't notice that the man never showed up for their meeting. As she warded the door for the night she also failed to notice the dark mark that lit the sky from the general direction of the Ministry before she apparated home.


End file.
